Dance Moms Recap: A Much Needed Vacation From Abby…For Me At Least!

dance moms kendall

In case you were wondering, last night’s Dance Moms was supposed to be all about Kendall, at least that was Jill’s hope. Alas, it was not the case, but I was quite happy about Abby Lee Miller’s absence for the entire hour. I needed the break…desperately. The episode begins with the girls wondering the fate of their friend Kalani and the mothers rehashing Abby’s epic tantrum with Kira. Not surprisingly, Abby is missing in action, and Gianna pretends to now know where their fearless leader is. Gianna grants each dancer a solo in light of Nationals being five weeks away. Wait, what? Does that mean this season is going to be even longer than normal? Geez. JoJo announces that she won’t be competing this week because she’s opening for Kids Bop at Disneyland. I have no clue what that means, but way to go?!?

As Kendall works on her routine, Gianna goads her about losing to Nia the previous week, and Holly questions how Kendall’s single is doing. Jill beams that the song, which dropped this week, is number one in Ireland, and Holly gushes about how exciting that is. However, it’s pretty obvious she only asked to segue into what’s going on with Nia’s budding pop career. I expected more from you, Holly! Jessalyn wonders if Jill is upset that Abby isn’t around to show her support for Kendall’s single, and Jill admits neither she nor Kendall ever know where they stand with Abby. Well, duh…she’s unstable! Nia and Holly then meet with Nia’s manager/producer who wants her to try her hand at rapping. Holly can’t wait to gloat share this news with the other moms. 

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Kalani has convinced her mother to allow her to return to her team, and her friends are thrilled to see her. Kira isn’t upset that Abby is nowhere to be found, but Jill is disappointed that Kendall’s manager hasn’t even called to congratulate her on her single. Of course, Jill can barely say two words without Holly trying to upstage her with Nia’s latest news. The girls are focused on practice, and Jill is a bit peeved that Holly has invited Shangela to visit the girls in the studio and work with Nia on her rapping skills. While everyone loves the over-the-top drag queen, the moms can’t help but notice that this impromptu session is taking a lot of rehearsal time away from the girls. Holly pretends to be oblivious to their frustration. 

dance moms gianna

The day before competition, Gianna is still claiming she hasn’t heard a word from Abby. She’s stressed about choreographing five solos, but she wants the girls to have the opportunity to prove themselves to Abby. The dancers are all vying for a spot at Nationals, and Jill is worried that Kendall’s routine isn’t as competitive as her counterparts. As the women question Abby’s whereabouts yet again, Melissa promises she hasn’t spoken to Abby since her meltdown. She isn’t convincing  in the least, and she tries to change the subject by saying this conversation should be saved for when the girls aren’t listening. Some mutual friends went out with Abby the night before, and they assured Melissa that Abby was fine…but Melissa wasn’t there and she really and truly has had zip, zero, zilch contact with the dance instructor. When Jessalyn rolls her eyes at Melissa’s assertions, Melissa storms out of the room swearing she won’t be accused of being a liar. Is someone protesting just a tad too much?

dance moms jessalyn jill

As the girls arrive at the competition, Kira still can’t wrap her head around Abby’s absence, and Kalani is nervous given she had one less day to practice. She shouldn’t be concerned. Her solo is flawless and her lines are so graceful. MacKenzie follows with Melissa crossing her fingers that shows more personality when she dances, per Abby’s instructions. There’s no denying she is adorable and talented, but I feel like she’s always doing the same upbeat acro routine. Poor MacKenzie stubs her toe mid dance, but she keeps going like a champ…although she doesn’t take too kindly to her sister labeling her fumble “funny” when she exits the stage. Kendall’s solo is fun and energized, and Jill wishes that Abby was in attendance to see how well she did with what she was given. 

dance moms kalani

Backstage, MacKenzie is complaining about her minor flub, and Jill retorts, “I told your mom I thought you’d stubbed your toe!” adding that she did a great job regardless. Melissa takes huge offense to Jill highlighting MacKenzie’s minor slip, telling her daughter that the moms love to throw her and Maddie under the bus. When the girls leave the dressing room, Holly interjects that Melissa’s statement was unnecessary as the mothers do not target her daughters. Melissa is peeved, claiming she only made the comment because the other moms were talking smack about her in front of her kids the previous day. She accuses Jessalyn of calling her a “liar,” but Kira reminds her of exactly what really went down at rehearsal. Melissa is adamant that she didn’t talk to Abby, but no one is buying what she’s selling. Nia is next to dance and both her execution and her costume are phenomenal. Maddie delivers her usual amazing solo, and Melissa hopes it’s enough to break her losing streak. 

dance moms mackenzie

At the awards ceremony, MacKenzie’s solo wins overall in her age group. Kendall’s routine places third in the pre-teen division with Maddie taking the top spot. Nia earns second in the teen category with Kira securing a clean sweep of firsts. After the competition, Maddie calls Abby to tell her the good news, but she’s lack luster at best. It’s not lost on Jill that Abby wouldn’t respond to her phone calls, but she’ll answer for Maddie. Jill’s frustration with Abby is boiling over in light of Kendall’s iTunes debut being overlooked, and she’s targeting Holly for bringing in outsiders to help Nia and name-dropping left and right. Holly refuses to apologize for any of her behavior and retorts that Jill should be angry at Kendall’s manager who didn’t think enough of her to celebrate the big news.  

TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LAST NIGHT’S EPISODE? WAS JILL’S ANGER TOWARDS HOLLY MISPLACED? 

[Photo Credit: Lifetime]

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